Floating supplemental bearings for roller levelers



Nov. 20, 1962 w. D. SHIELDS 3,064,712

FLOATING SUPPLEMENTAL BEARINGS FOR ROLLER LEVELERS Filed April 7, 1959 United States atent Ofidce BfiMJlZ Patented Nov. 20, 1962 3,064,712 FLOATING SUPPLEMENTAL BEARINGS FOR ROLLER LEVELERS William D. Shields, Sewickley, Pa., assignor to loss Engineering Company, Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 7, 1959, Ser. No. 804,658 2 Claims. (Cl. 153-106) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in roller levelers for straightening metal sheets after they are formed on a rolling mill and it is among the objects thereof to provide an improved type of bearing for supporting the leveler rolls.

In Patent No. 2,295,017 granted to me September 8, 1942, is disclosed a supplemental bearing that supports the long slender leveler rolls at spaced intervals to prevent distortion of the rolls and maintain a uniform straightening pass for the sheet metal passing between the rolls. The supplemental roll supports were fixed to the yoke or cradle on which the backup rolls were mounted and beneath and between which the leveler rolls were disposed. The diiiiculty with the former device was a tendency for the peaks or spacing fingers between the bearing surfaces to wear out of shape, thereby causing uneven contact of the bearing with the leveler rolls.

This wear was caused by the bearings being immovably secured or fastened to the cradle or supporting members.

In accordance with the present invention, the diificulty is overcome by mounting the supplemental bearing sections in a manner to permit them to float, as it were, to make them self-aligning with the work roll surfaces.

The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a roller leveler frame and the leveler rolls with supplemental bearings embodying the principles of this invention;

FlGURE 2, a cross-sectional view, partially in elevation, taken transversely of the frame and rollers of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged detail of a fragmentary portion of the roller leveler frame and leveler rolls and supplemental bearing structure illustrating the manner of mounting the latter to the frame;

FIGURE 4, a front elevational view of a portion of the lower supplemental bearing;

FIGURE 5, a similar view of a portion of the top or upper supplemental bearing;

FIGURE 6, an end elevation taken along the line 66, FIGURE FIGURE 7, a cross-sectional view, partially in elevation, taken along the line 77, FIGURE 4; and,

FIGURE 8, a bottom plan view of a portion of the supplemental bearing taken along the line 8$, FIG- URE 5.

With reference to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the upper yoke or frame of a roller leveler apparatus having a series of passes 2 for securing bearing brackets 3 by clamping with bolts 4. The bearing brackets 3 mount backup rollers 5 which are arranged in pairs and spaced axially of a pair of smaller working or leveler rolls 6 and 7, the rolls '7 being supported by backup rolls mounted in a machine frame section by roll brackets 3 in the same manner as the upper work rolls 6.

In accordance with the present invention, the leveler rolls 6 and 7 are supported by supplemental bearing structures generally designated by the numerals 8 and 9 r having bearing faces 8a and 9a, and which are shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 of the drawing. They are shown in FIGURE 1 as disposed at intervals between the backup rollers 5 along the length of the leveler rolls 6 and 7, there being four of such supplemental bearing supports shown in FIGURE 1 for the upper work rolls 6 and 4 of such bearing supports for the lower leveler rolls 7. In accordance with the present invention, the supplemental bearing members 3 and 9 are not rigidly secured to the machine frames but are provided with slotted end portions 10, FIGURE 4, and 11, FIGURE 5, these slots being more clearly shown in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8. Bolts 12 and 13 secure the supplemental hearings to the roller leveler frames. The bolts are provided with steel washers 14 and 15 that engage collars 16 and 17. These collars may be of hardened and ground steel to provide a smooth surface to permit sliding contact of the slots 19 and 11 with the body of the collars l6 and 17. In other words, while the bolts are securely fastened to the machine frames, the shoulders 14 and 15 abut the edges of the collars I6 and 17 and securely fasten the collars but the supplementing bearings 3 and 9 have freedom of sliding movement within the limits of the slots 10 and 11.

On this account, the supplemental bearings 8 and 9 will align their cylindrical seating or bearing surfaces with the cylindrical bodies of the upper and lower leveler rolls 6 and 7, resulting in uniform wear. By means of this floating bearing, the spacing fingers or points 18 between the rollers do not wear away as is the case when the supplemental bearings are fixed against movement as in the construction of my former patent.

The supplemental bearings are made of brass and by means of the floating mounts are practically indestructible.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

I. In a roller leveler having a plurality of leveler rolls and a plurality of backup rolls mounted at spaced intervals axially of said leveler rolls, a plurality of supplementary half bearings bridging said leveler rolls and being normally out of contact therewith, said supplementary half bearings having slotted ends, bolts for mounting said half bearings on a machine frame and spacing collars for said bolts for sliding movement in the slots of said bearings, said bolts engaging said collars to securely fasten said collars to said frame to space the heads of said bolts out of contact with said supplementary half bearings to render said bearings floating members movable within the limits of the longitudinal axes of the slots.

2. In a roller leveler having a plurality of leveler rolls and a plurality of backup rolls mounted at spaced intervals axially of said leveler rolls, a plurality of supplementary half bearings bridging said leveler rolls and being normally out of contact therewith, said supplementary 3 7 half bearings having spaced bearing faces corresponding to the number of leveler rolls and having slotted ends, bolts for mounting said half hearings on a machine frame and spacing collars for said bolts for sliding movement in the slots of said bearings, said bolts having flanged heads for engaging the ends of said collars to securely fasten said collars to said frame to space the heads of said bolts out of contact with said supplementary half bearings to render said bearings floating members movable within the limits of the longitudinal axes of the slots.

References Ii$ed in the file of this patent UNITED STATES 1 ATENTS Mason June 19, Thompson Mar. 11, Bigelow Jan. 1, Olson Sept. 7, Campbell Feb. 13, Maussnest Aug. 12, Shields Sept. 8,

Walter Aug. 23, 

